Home of Design-on-the-Fly

About the Design Process

The garden consultation is a walk through your garden and a conversation about what’s there and what’s possible. During a consultation we’ll:

review the site;

establish priorities;

establish goals and budget;

determine how to proceed;

The process

The consultation is an idea-generating and information-gathering meeting between you and the designer. It’s an opportunity for you to see your garden through ‘new eyes.’ You control the meeting by concentrating on any aspect of your property. The consultation can be as long or as short as you request.

Examples of what to expect during your consultation include:

identification of and care tips for existing plant materials;

determination of plants worth saving or suggested removals;

recommendations for in-fill plants;

ways to revise lawn or plant bed shapes;

ideas for dealing with drainage problems;

discussion of ways to improve your soil.

Preparing for your consultation

Take this opportunity to share lists of favorite plants or inspirational photographs from magazines, depict the mood you’d like your garden to evoke, describe elements you’d like your garden to include — a water feature, native plants, edibles, a secluded retreat, or a moonlight garden. This is the time to begin thinking about the level of maintenance you expect and the size of budget you have in mind.

It can be very valuable for you to spend some time thinking about your garden and how it can be integrated into your lifestyle prior to our first meeting. To help focus your thinking, I’ve provided a self-interview here.

After the consultation, I’ll make referrals for arborists, contractors or other professionals. I recommend that we take notes during the consultation so you’ll be able to review our meeting later.

Additional help is always available

If you need further design services or plans, I’ll take the notes from our consultation to use as a guide. I’ll spend additional time to gather any needed site measurements and photos of the area(s) to be designed. I’ll provide an estimate for the amount of time needed to design your project and calculate a projected completion date.

I Can Speak at Your Event

I present workshops and classes related to 'green', sustainable gardening and design at trade shows, conferences, community events, nurseries and garden clubs in the Portland area. Since 2009 I have been a presenter for the four-hour … [ Read More... ]